Joebo

Well, they are a player in the market. So, they probably aren't going anywhere soon (read: job security). They have a very full line with good cameras, monitors, domes and matrix systems.

I believe what they are saying is that the lenses work in both daytime and nighttime lighting conditions. F360 (T360) is necessary to deal with the day light and the f1.3 or lower is good for night time (f0.95 being faster and thus better for low light applications).

In terms of ease-of-use, I thought the DX8000 was ok. I would say the Kalatel unit is much easier from an Admin and Operator stand point but, the DX8000 blows it away in features, such as; - thumbnail search on playback (like Toshiba's unit) - view video from one unit on another unit (like having the remote software built into the boxes) - nice dome support features like: up-the-coax control or preset call up on alarm (e.g. alarm on input 1 [or motion alarm] can swing dome #3 to preset 1) - Nice video (live and playback) but, in the hi-res mode (720x480) see a lot of horizontal picture tearing (like looking through window blinds) when you move a pan/tilt or have lots of motion. As far as record duration, the DX8000 has much smaller file sizes. So, you'll get much longer record duration on less HDD space when comparing apples to apples. All in all, I love the features in the DX8000 but, the user interface was much too busy for my liking. I find the Kalatel unit much easier to install and program.

Video - no problem as long as you are using active devices. Data - really depends on the protocol. RS485 shouldn't be a problem, 422 may require shielded cable. You'll have to check the specs from the manufacturer (of the control equipment) to be sure. Most are rated 3000 ft. (1KM) or more.

www.teldat.com

I like this idea. I like the flexibility a system like this gives you. Especially when tying into an existing system. Some manufacturers are already doing this. That is, allowing you to connect IP cameras directly to their NetDVR and using video encoders to convert existing cameras from analog to IP. Saves the cost of replacing all existing cameras if interested in a NetDVR solution.

2 more choices: Ultrak Enterprise Series Digital Video Management System. Nice system with excellent picture quality. Very hot in the casino market. http://www.ultrak.com/Download_Registrations/Product_Documentation_Center/Spec_Sheets/Digital/Digital_Recorders/index.htm ONSSI NetDVR. Another nice system with excellent picture quality. http://www.onssi.com PS. Congratulations on your EuroCup victory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

forgot the link. http://pro.jvc.com/prof/Attributes/color_broch.jsp?tree=&model_id=MDL101435&itempath=&feature_id=12

JVC WD310U. Great camera. Around $400 through distribution.

We've got the Samsung SV-5000W VCR. Plays back tapes from any source (PAL, NTSC, SECAM, etc.). Works like a champ. My wife's parents send tapes from Russia and we watch them all the time. Quite pricey but, it works great. Check out the link below for pricing. http://www.nextag.com/Samsung_VCR_SV_5000W~2334642z0znzzz1zzpal_secam_ntsc_vcrzmainz2-htm

Probably gonna need an O-Scope to look at the video signal. Could you tell us a little more about the installation? Like: - New or Existing installation - Does problem occur on one or multiple video inputs - How often is "now and then" when you talk about the video jumping (1x a week or 50x a day) - Is "jumping" camera(s) indoor or outdoor - Just wondering is problem shows during certain extreme lighting conditions (e.g. bright sunlight, etc.) - Lighting conditions and reflectance area - (elevator with dark brown interior and a broken light or school with bright white walls, floors and more lighting that a Christmas tree) - How long is the video run (coax or fiber or tp) - Any splices in cable run - What type of cam/lens (board camera or full-body camera)

I believe it is Videor Technical lens. www.videortechnical.com

I would like to hear about your test on this camera as well. Looks nice! I thought I'd mention the JVC TK-WD310U camera. Awesome camera! Can handle any lighting condition but, not so sensitive (1.9lux). I also use the Panasonic 474 cameras for tough lighting conditions but, if looking at an area with high activity (motion) the picture is horrible (i.e. smears). The camera cannot seem to handle all the changes in the scene. This JVC camera, on the other hand, handles that problem flawlessly. And, it's not badly priced for this type of camera (around $400 from distribution).

I'm thinking the problem is because the system is running 4CIF (640x480 resolution or higher). If possible, change to a lower reolution and see what happens (640x240 or 320x240).

I think this is already the hottest thing going. Most access control manufacturers integrate with somebody's DVR. Display live video on alarm, bi-directional alarm capabilities, it's awesome. Here are some manufacturers that offer DVR integration over a network: - SoftwareHouse C-CURE800 with Loronix, Nice and Intellex - Northern Computers with thier VAST DVR (if it still exists) and ADEMCO Vidoe RapidEye MULTI - Casi-Rusco Facility COmmander with Kalatel, Integral, Panasonic, Intellex, Loronix, and Nice - Kantech Corporate Edition with Intellex - Lenel On-Guard with thier own DVR, Loronix, Nice (I think!) and Intellex - InfoGraphics Diamond II with Kalatel, Intellex, and Integral. - NexWatch and RapidEye MULTI

A quick way to sync the cameras would be to loop 1 camera through a couple of inputs (2 or 3) on the switcher. Hopefully, the switcher is looping so termination won't be an issue and this will be a quick process. Connect camera 1, loop out to input 2, loop out to input 3 and terminate the signal. Then connect the flat screen and the problem should definitely not be prevalent. If it is, I would have to say it is the monitor. If the problem goes away, you'll have to sync the cameras, If you don't have a scope to sync the cameras, you can do a pretty good job by connecting two cameras to the in and out of a monitor (e.g. 1 camera to mon A in and the other to mon A out). Cover up one of the lenses so you don't get the double image. If they are out of phase, the picture will tear, adjust one of the cameras until the tearing stops and then remove the camera that had been adjusted and connect a different camera in its place. Be sure to use 1 camera as your reference camera. Good luck!!

Jay Jay - American Dynamics has a new embedded system called DigiMux that has all of the bells and whistles at a very low cost. You could probably contact ADI to get pricing (www.adi-dist.com)

In short, hardware is great, software still needs work. On the HW side, its very easy to replace drives or the entire unit. One very nice feature is the separated rear panel. If the unit fails, turn a key on the front of the unit, remove the main guts, replace the unit and lock the key. No need to remove power, video cables, network cables or anything like that. Just like a docking station for a laptop computer. The LED's on the front of the unit are very nice as well. I thought the software was a little confusing for the average technician. Menu and menu after sub-menu. It's geared very much toward the IT world. In fact, up until recently they did not have a local user interface. Everything had to be done from a computer via a phone line or network connection. Video quality is pretty good in the native format but, when you try to stretch the image the video quickly deteriorates. Their a company worth keeping your eye on because from what I'm told they have a lot of software and hardware engineers working on their digital products (50-60 people).

The quickest way to determine the bandwidth would be to multiply the average image file size x number of images per second x number of simultaneous remote users. For example, the DiVar has average file sizes of 16K, 24K or 40K, can record up to 60 images per second (ips) * and can have up to 6 remote users communicating with 1 DiVar system **. Therefore, worst case would be 40K (file size) x 60 (ips) x 6 (users) = 14.4Mbps * The unit records up to 60ips, however, I'm not sure if it can transmit up to 60ips over the network. NOTE: The units do have a bandwidth throttle that allows you to limit the amount of bandwidth the system will use. And, you can also limit the amount of user per system. ** 6 is the max. number of simultaneous users communicating with 1 DiVar system. So, with 3 systems you could actually have 18 users on-line simultaneously (6 users per system). One last thing to note is that the bandwidth is only being consumed when connected. If you intend to be viewing video 24/7, you'll consistently be using a lot of bandwidth. For more info go to www.boschsecurity.us or call 800-326-3270 or 717-735-6300. They probably have a document that they can send to you.

I've heard that snagit works well. Captures everything on the desktop (video, text, mouse movements, etc.).